Sweden puts brothers on trial for spying for Russia | News
The Iranian-born Swedish brothers are accused of spying for Russia and its military intelligence service for 10 years.
A trial has begun in Sweden against two Iranian-born Swedish brothers who have been accused of spying for Russia and its GRU military intelligence service for 10 years.
Peyman Kia, 42, and Payam Kia, 35, appeared in Stockholm District Court on Friday accused of working together to pass information to Russia between September 28, 2011 and September 20, 2021.
Between 2014 and 2015, Peyman Kia worked for Sweden’s domestic intelligence service and also for Sweden’s armed forces.
Sweden’s prosecutors claim that the information they gave the Russians came from several agencies within the Swedish security and intelligence service, known by the acronym SAPO.
Swedish media reported that Peyman Kia worked for the Defense Force’s foreign intelligence service, whose Swedish abbreviation is MUST, and reportedly worked with a top-secret unit under MUST, which dealt with Swedish spies abroad.
Anton Strand, the elder man’s lawyer, said Thursday that his client continues to deny the allegations.
“He has worked in various positions for the Swedish government and has always done his best to do a good job in a very difficult environment,” Strand said.
‘Big problem’
Intelligence expert Joakim von Braun told SVT when the trial began that, although many details are still unknown, it emerged as one of the most damaging cases of espionage in Sweden’s history because the men compiled a list of all SAPO employees.
“That alone is a big problem because Russian intelligence focuses on human sources,” von Braun said.
Peyman Kia was arrested in September 2021 and his brother in November 2021. Both denied wrongdoing, their defense lawyers told the court.
Payam Kia, 35, was helping his brother and “disassembled and smashed a hard drive that was later found in a trash can” when his brother was arrested, according to an indictment obtained by The Associated Press.
The naturalized Swedish citizens risk being sentenced to life imprisonment if convicted.